2020.04.03
On the Start of the New Semester
To New and Current Students of the Graduate School of Media and Governance
Fumitoshi Kato, Dean of the Graduate School of Media and Governance
First of all, congratulations to everyone who is entering the Graduate School of Media and Governance this spring. I offer my heartfelt congratulations. I was supposed to be able to meet you all in person at the entrance ceremony today, but unfortunately, due to the effects of the novel coronavirus, the entrance ceremony has been postponed, and classes will now begin on April 30. I imagine you are feeling unsettled as these anxious days continue.
To our current students as well, I understand that you are also feeling constrained, as your research activities are being restricted in various ways.
For courses offered at the Faculty of Policy Management and the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies, we are preparing to offer classes online from the start of the semester until June 10 (the end of the first half of the undergraduate term). For the graduate school, considering our diverse student body, which includes many international and working students, we have asked instructors to cooperate in offering all spring semester classes online.
We are also reviewing procedures and schedules related to degree acquisition and are considering how to handle them online as much as possible. Please stay in close contact with your academic advisor to plan your studies for this semester.
We are now forced into a life where goods, money, and information move freely, but people cannot. Interaction with people is indispensable in almost any field of research, whether it's through free and open discussions in the classroom, experiments and creation in the lab, fieldwork and social practice, international exchange, or academic conferences and symposiums.
Even amidst these many restrictions, please do not lose your intellectual curiosity and take this opportunity to reconsider what your academic life as a graduate student should be. This very situation may become a source of creativity and ingenuity.
The situation is changing daily, and unfortunately, not for the better. First and foremost, let's all survive and stay healthy. Let's each take care of ourselves and our surroundings to stay safe. Viewing the beautiful cherry blossoms on campus will have to be postponed for now.
To question the nature of new knowledge while situated in this global event—that is the challenge we face.
・ Graduate School Guide Please read the Graduate School Guide carefully and reconfirm the various procedures for course registration, submission deadlines, and other matters. Any changes will be announced on the website as they occur, so please keep yourself updated.
・If you have any questions or concerns, please consult with your academic advisor as you prepare for the new semester.